Postgraduate - UnitPAR4220 - Aeromedical and retrieval clinical 1: Advanced life support/critical care

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2015 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

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6 points, SCA Band 2, 0.125 EFTSL

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.

Level	Postgraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences
Organisational Unit	Department of Community Emergency Health and Paramedics
Offered	Alfred Hospital Second semester 2015 (Online)
Coordinator(s)	Mr Toby St Clair and Mr Darren Hodge

Synopsis

This unit will explore the specific modifications to clinical practice required when adapting to the aeromedical environment. This exploration will be based on the affects of altitude on susceptible medical, surgical and traumatic conditions and will emphasise the importance of appropriate in-flight equipment commonly used for patient monitoring and ventilatory and circulatory support. Related clinical management strategies including prediction of potential aeromedical problems so as to ensure the safe and efficient transport of patients will be developed.

Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

describe the specific effects of altitude on susceptible medical, surgical and traumatic conditions;
describe the use of pharmacological agents and techniques for administering drugs and fluids necessary to manage common conditions requiring aeromedical transport and treat potential complications that may arise;
plan patient care appropriate to the professional practice level of the student, that incorporates clinical management strategies including prediction of potential aeromedical problems so as to ensure the safe and efficient transport of the patient;
demonstrate a working knowledge of medical equipment utilised in the care of patients during flight; and
discuss the pivotal role of teamwork in the aeromedical retrieval environment.